High School Sports

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – It was billed as a battle of No. 1 teams and the game didn’t disappoint the excited fans eager to see a powerhouse contest. Sikeston, top-ranked in Class 5, took on the Class 3 No. 1 team Principia on Sunday afternoon, but the Bulldogs’ late-game rally fell short 74-69 at Greenwood Laboratory High School on the campus of Missouri State University in Springfield...

BROSELEY — The Dexter Bearcats girls basketball team was in control from start to finish as the Bearcats took care of Greenville 57-19 in the first round of the Lady Royals Christmas Classic on Saturday. Dexter will take on Neelyville, who had the luxury of a first1round bye, at 6 p.m. on Monday...

The 2024 Tiger Classic boys' wrestling tournament concluded with a big bang on Saturday, Dec. 21, at the Tiger Field House, with the hosting Cape Central heavyweight, Connor Poole, defeating Kennett's Kevin Thompson by a 10-1 major decision to be the only Tiger to finish with a gold medal...

SIKESTON – Just eight days ago, the Sikeston Bulldogs pounded Notre Dame in the SEMO Conference Tournament by a lopsided margin of 25 points. In the first quarter on Friday night at the Sikeston Field House, it appeared that Sikeston would be off and running once again against Notre Dame as the Bulldogs built a big lead...

St. Vincent claims its first FSCB Holiday Classic title with a decisive 48-33 win over top-seeded Jackson, fueled by strong defense and key plays from the Rubel twins and Allie Patrick.

Delta's Jade Berry shines with 27 points, leading her team to a 77-46 victory over Woodland in the FSCB Holiday Classic third-place game. Despite early season challenges, Delta aims for a strong finish.

BROSELEY — The Poplar Bluff girls basketball team came into the Lady Royal Christmas Classic on Saturday with some swagger as the Lady Mules routed Holcomb 53-27 in the opening round. Jadyn Brandon led the Lady Mules’ offense with 11 points, while Allie Johnson was right behind her with eight in the game. The Lady Mules struggled from the charity stripe going only 6-for-14...

BLOOMFIELD – Statistically, the Bloomfield High School varsity boy’s basketball team is playing its best defense since the 2016-17 season, though, in fairness, it sure didn’t appear that way through 16 minutes of guarding Advance on Friday at the historic Bloomfield Gymnasium.

The Jackson Indians boys basketball team defeated the Festus Tigers 73-45 on Friday at the Jackson High School Event Center. Both offenses struggled to find a rhythm early but Jackson did everything else better. Defensively the Indians forced turnovers and pulled down seemingly every rebound to keep the Tigers at bay...

Two Southeast Missouri area lady wrestlers took home the gold medal in the Tiger Classic girls wrestling tournament on Friday, Dec. 20, at the Tiger Field House in Cape Girardeau. Reining Semoball Awards Girls Wrestler of the Year Ellie Douglass of Sikeston won first place in the 100-pound weight class by defeating Northwestern's Abigail Sehnert in a second-period pin...

CLARKTON — The Risco Tigers defeated the Doniphan Dons 82-53 to claim the championship of the Clarkton Christmas Tournament on Friday night. Doniphan played with grit and effort, never giving up in the game, — but Risco was taller, faster, and more physical than the Dons, especially on the offensive side, where their rebounding and inside shooting dominated the scoreboard...

Perryville's relentless defense secured a 42-32 win over Cape Central, clinching fifth place at the FSCB Holiday Classic. Sophomore Aby Amberger led with 24 points, showcasing the Pirates' potential.

DEXTER, Mo. — It was an uncharacteristic night for Sikeston and a redemptive one for Dexter.  Just two weeks removed from an 18-point loss in the third-place game of the SEMO Conference Tournament, the Lady Bearcats (3-3) turned the tables with a 52-42 victory over the Lady Bulldogs (4-5) at The Bearcat Event Center on Thursday, Dec. 19. ...

Chester girls basketball clinches the FSCB Holiday Classic consolation title by overcoming Kelly 61-55, led by Lexie Mott's 21 points. The victory capped a resilient tournament run for Chester.

ORAN, Mo. — East Prairie needed a minute to heat up Tuesday night at Oran, but once it did, there was no stopping the visitors in a 68-41 dismantling of the home team.  “We came out a little sluggish after being off for a week,” said East Prairie coach Gary Scott. “It took us a while to get going, and we played much better in the second half.  It was good to get a big conference win on the road.”...

BELL CITY –Bernie took advantage of a beleaguered Bell City squad on Thursday and came away with an impressive 64-51 road win in varsity boy’s basketball action at Bell City High School.

Every year, the Jackson wrestling team spends the first month of the season compressed with major home duel meets and tournaments that span 30 teams. As the cream of the Southeast Missouri wrestling crop, the upperclassmen are always well-positioned to stand out and make a run at the state championships. An Indian has won the Semoball Award for Wrestler of the Year in each of the previous three years...

CLARKTON — The Doniphan Dons scored a convincing 58-40 victory over the East Carter Redbirds in the semifinals of the Clarkton Christmas Tournament on Thursday night. The Dons led throughout the game, combining an aggressive defense with an improved scoring proficiency that built a first half advantage that they stretched to double-digits in the second half, which prevented the Redbirds from staging any sort of comeback...

Campbell and Senath-Hornersville secure their spots in the championship game of the Senath-Hornersville Christmas Tournament after intense semifinal victories.

BROSELEY — The Twin Rivers boys basketball team was in a dogfight with Van Buren on Thursday — and it took some extra basketball as the Royals came out on top with a gritty 75-67 win in overtime. “We fought through adversity,” Twin Rivers coach Austin Birmingham said. “After being up late in the fourth, losing it, then getting it back in overtime, it shows these kids can fight through adversity.”...

Mykencie Hutchison is going from being a Redbird to being a Cardinals. The East Carter senior recently signed to play softball at the collegiate level next season with Mineral Area College in Park Hills. While East Carter’s athletic teams are the Redbirds, MAC’s teams are the Cardinals...

Charleston High School boy’s basketball coach Jamarcus Williams is familiar enough with tonight’s opponent (Kennett) that he knows where the scouting report needs to begin, and that is with containing the Indians’ talented senior point guard Dyson Watson.

St. Vincent girls dominate Delta 68-31 in FSCB semifinal, advancing to the final against Jackson. Led by Haley Emmendorfer's 15 points, they showcased a relentless offensive performance.

Jackson girls dominate Woodland 63-20 in FSCB semifinals, advancing to their first title game since 2022. With a strong defense and standout freshman class, Jackson aims to end an eight-year championship drought.

The First State Community Bank Holiday Classic comes to a close on Friday, Dec. 20, as St. Vincent meets Jackson in a battle of the Indians. St. Vincent dominated throughout the tournament. After mauling Meridian and sacking Saxony Lutheran in the first two rounds, St. Vincent decimated Delta’s defenses in a 68-31 semifinal win on Wednesday, Dec. 18...

BROSELEY — Since its inception in the late 1990s, the Lady Royals Christmas Classic at Twin Rivers High School has become one of the premier holiday tournaments in Southeast Missouri. This year’s tournament tips off Saturday and concludes next Saturday, with three days off — Sunday, Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and the day after Christmas...

Jackson wrestling shined at the Missouri/Illinois Challenge with standout performances to the likes of junior Brysen Wessell. Head coach Steve Wachter was recognized before the event for his National Wrestling HOF induction, while the JV squad set a state-record 300th straight dual meet victory.

On Wednesday, the Notre Dame Bulldogs boys basketball team defeated the Caruthersville Tigers 71-66 at Notre Dame Regional High School. After losing back-to-back in the SEMO Conference Tournament, the Bulldogs needed a win to regain their .500 record. They did so against a well-coached and defensively aggressive Caruthersville team...

Of the 12 Bluejay athletes that comprise the Charleston High School varsity boy’s basketball roster, only three of them are seniors.

Phoenix Beal has his work cut out for him. Beal, the 25-year-old former Advance and Crowley's Ridge College baseball player went from assistant coach for the Southeast Tropics this past summer to head coach of the Zalma boy's basketball team. It has been quite the challenge for Beal to undertake, as the Bulldogs have seen a winning season since 2016. Zalma has won two games or less in each of their past three seasons...

Life comes fast to everyone, and the Bell City varsity boy’s basketball program is no exception to that.

The Senath-Hornersville Christmas Tournament kicked off with thrilling first-round games. Highlights include Senath-Hornersville's commanding win, Delta C-7's narrow escape, Campbell's dominant performance, and Gideon's upset victory.

CLARKTON — The Doniphan Dons defeated the Clarkton Reindeer 72-56 on the opening night of the Clarkton Christmas Tournament on Tuesday. The Dons overcame a cold shooting effort in the first half to forge a strong lead in the middle of the third quarter, finally pulling away from a Clarkton team that played much better than its winless record would have shown...

In a Southeast Missourian Christmas Tournament preview, the Scott City Rams defeated the Kelly Hawks 87-47 Tuesday, Dec. 17, in Scott City. The Rams’ home win breaks an eight-game losing streak against their rivals. The seniors made sure to avenge those loses in a big way...

Kelly High School wrestling made history on Tuesday night with its first-ever home dual meet, led by junior Jesse Carmack's efforts to establish the program. The Hawks went 1-2 and secured a 45-35 victory against New Madrid County Central.

BROSELEY — The Twin Rivers boys basketball team saw its five-game winning streak come to an end on Tuesday as the Royals fell to Hayti 79-63. The Royals were right there with Hayti in the first half, even bringing it down to a one-possession game, but Twin Rivers coach Austin Birmingham said fatigue set in for his guys...

BROSELEY — The Twin Rivers girls basketball team continued its winning ways on Tuesday with a 51-25 win over Hayti. The Lady Royals have won three of their last five as they improved their record to 6-2. “This was a good test for us heading into the Lady Royal Christmas Classic,” Twin Rivers coach Michael Snider said. ...

The No. 8 seeded Perryville Lady Pirates triumphed over the No. 5 seeded Scott County Central Bravettes with a decisive 50-33 win in the FSCB Holiday Tournament on Tuesday, Dec. 17, at the Show Me Center in Cape Girardeau. Aby Amberger led the charge for Perryville, scoring an impressive 29 points. ...

Tatum Kitchen will replace John Martin as the Jackson School District athletic director, beginning Tuesday, July 1. The Jackson School District Board of Education announced the approval of his hiring Tuesday, Dec. 17. “Coach Kitchen has a deeply rooted passion for athletics and helping others develop as coaches and athletes while furthering school pride," Jackson superintendent Scott Smith said in a statement. ...

Blake Fowler's jersey was retired at Campbell High's homecoming, marking his induction into the school's Athletic Hall of Fame.

DEXTER — The 2024 Charles Bland Award winner is Caden Lee. Since 1994, the Charles Bland Award has been awarded to the most rounded senior Bearcat football player who excels on and off the field. The award is designated for an individual who contributes significantly to their school, community and classmates...

Chloe Hendrix commits to Freed-Hardeman University, inspired by coach Amanda Bretherick

Rylie Brown, a standout high school cross country runner from Malden, has signed with Williams Baptist University.

ESSEX – Midway through the third quarter of its varsity boys basketball game against Dexter on Monday, the Richland squad was in some degree of trouble.

Josh Horrell, a senior at Leopold High School, signed a National Letter of Intent earlier this month with Mineral Area College for Cross Country and Track starting the Fall 2025. "Josh has run cross country for Leopold since the seventh grade," said Julia Horrell, his mother. "He had a great final high school season, making All-Conference, All-District and Academic All-State and he is definitely looking forward to running at the college level next fall."...

On Monday, the Oak Ridge Blue Jays boys basketball team defeated the Crystal City Hornets 62-50 at Oak Ridge High School in Oak Ridge, Mo. Led by Cohen Hahs’ 26 points, Oak Ridge used a balanced offense consisting of working the ball inside and making well-timed three-pointers to help propel the Blue Jays over Crystal City...

CAPE GIRARDEAU —  Notre Dame girls’ basketball coach Kirk Boeller knew he would need his toughest bunch on the floor to muscle up against unbeaten Chaffee. All four of them showed up. Eliza Barnette carried the load and posted a game-high 18 points, while seniors Olivia Wagoner and Skylar Craft and junior Mia Panton made crucial plays down the stretch, and the Lady Bulldogs outlasted Chaffee 50-42 on Monday night at Notre Dame Regional High School...

The Southland Rebels overcame a shaky start on Friday the 13th to defeat the Holcomb Hornets 78-48, thanks to stellar defense and standout performances, extending their winning streak to five games.

Delta girls dominate Cape Central 69-45, advancing to the FSCB Holiday Classic semifinals. Jade Berry shines with 25 points, leading an explosive offense. Next up: a crucial rematch vs. St. Vincent.

SIKESTON — Sikeston didn’t just win the SEMO Conference Championship on Friday — it left no doubt about which program owns the tournament. With a 90-52 win over Cape Central, the Bulldogs (6-0) set records for the most points scored and the largest margin of victory in a title game. The win marked a second consecutive championship and 10th overall, more than the combined total of the rest of the teams in the conference. ...